The Green River, the site of a recent oil spill, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. It’s home to endangered fish species and is important to tourism. Photo by Ann Morgan.

An unknown volume of oil and water from a Utah drilling site has flown into the Green River, the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The spill—caused by a ruptured valve on a well—is just the latest reminder of what’s at stake when things go wrong with oil and gas operations, and why we need adequate regulations and enforcement.

It’s also a reminder that no place is too remote to matter. The initial spill in late May occurred in a dry stream bed on public land in east-central Utah, what some might call “the middle of nowhere.” But all it took was heavy rainfall late last week that overwhelmed an emergency barrier to trigger alarms about contamination of the Green River. The Green feeds into the Colorado River, the water source for more than 25 million people.

The Green River is also habitat for endangered fish species, including the razorback sucker, currently spawning downstream from the spill. It’s a favorite of rafters and anglers and a huge boon to the region’s outdoor-based economy.

The Bureau of Land Management has said it believes only a small amount of the oil and water mixture made it into the Green.

Murky Situation

“We were able to catch this incident and act quickly to contain the leak and minimize the impacts to the environment,” Juan Palma, Utah state BLM director said in a news release.

Zach Frankel, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, counters that the BLM is trying to minimize a serious threat.

“The BLM failed the public and it’s high time to acknowledge their mistakes instead of green washing this pollution,” Frankel said.

It’s unclear how much oil and water spilled from the broken valve. The BLM estimates the amount at hundreds of gallons. The Utah Rivers Council says based on estimates of how long oil and water flowed from the well, the total could be closer to 100,000 gallons.

John Collar of Moab, who was camping above the Green River when the temporary dam was breached, disputes the BLM’s assessment of the damage. He told several media outlets that he noticed an oily sheen on the river several miles downstream from the spill.

“It was very visible. It was river wide, wall to wall. It was there when we left the next day,” Collar said to The Salt Lake Tribune as he described an oil sheen on the Green River.

State and federal environmental officials concede that we might never know how much oil got into the river. “No one was sitting there watching it,” said John Whitehead of the Utah Division of Water Quality, adding that any environmental problems will likely occur close to the spill site.

“We take these kinds of things extremely seriously. It’s never acceptable to have this stuff go into the river,” said Curtis Kimbel, who is heading the Environmental Protection Agency’s on-scene response.

The spill was contained as of Friday, Kimbel added, and state and federal employees continued cleanup and monitoring this week.

All that hasn’t eased conservationists’ concerns or outrage at ongoing problems with oil and gas spills. The BLM just wrapped up an investigation into contamination at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. Federal officials think three oil spills—one recent, two decades-old—fouled the soil and vegetation in a wash.

In western Colorado, a mix of oil water seeped near a creek that runs into the Colorado River. The leak discovered early last year was near an oil and natural gas processing plant. In April, state regulators said they still don’t know where or when the leak started.

Staffers at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah tend to one of the beavers caught in an oil spill. Photo by the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah.

Considering the tens of thousands of existing oil and gas wells and more planned in the Rocky Mountain region, it’s not surprising that equipment fails, waste ponds overflow, pipelines rupture. All the more reason to strengthen regulations and beef up inspections and enforcement. It’s disturbing that contamination from decades-old spills near a national monument was just recently discovered. The Colorado-based Center for Western Priorities estimates that 13,600 drilling-related spills totaling nearly 102 million gallons occurred in Colorado and New Mexico between 2000 and 2013. For Colorado, that equates to roughly one per day during that period.

In Colorado, hunters, anglers and conservationists are still waiting for the state to make good on its pledge made about six years ago to establish statewide riparian setbacks for oil and gas wells.

It’s time for the Interior Department to update its 30-year-old regulations for fracking on federal lands. New technology and drilling techniques have made it easier to drill in more places. Interior has proposed changes addressing disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking, the integrity of the well bore, the hole that forms the well, and handling wastewater.

Our public lands are a public trust. The water, fish, wildlife and other resources must be protected.

Help Protect Public Lands

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/06/drilling-spills-on-public-lands-continue-to-threaten-water-wildlife-our-shared-public-heritage/feed/1Pipeline Spill in Los Angeles Neighborhood Another Stark Reminder It’s Time to End Oil Addictionhttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/05/pipeline-spill-in-los-angeles-neighborhood-another-stark-reminder-its-time-to-end-oil-addiction/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/05/pipeline-spill-in-los-angeles-neighborhood-another-stark-reminder-its-time-to-end-oil-addiction/#commentsFri, 16 May 2014 00:01:54 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=95796Read more >]]>In what’s becoming all too common news, another oil pipeline burst last night, this time on the streets of Los Angeles, America’s second largest city. Details are still emerging, but here’s what we know and it’s troubling:

The spill occurred within half a mile of the Los Angeles River. Efforts have been supposed made to close drainage pipes to the river, but more information is needed on whether containment has been successful.

Nearby businesses have been evacuated and two people have been hospitalized with respiratory concerns from the spill.

Residents over a mile away are complaining of the stench.

Despite automated shut-off, the valve where the rupture occurred sprayed oil for about 45 minutes before further spilling ceased.

The pipeline is about 20 inches in diameter and owned by Plains Pipeline LP. The type of oil moving through the pipeline is currently not known, nor are the ultimate impacts on the neighborhood involved or the nearby river. Authorities report the spill is “contained.”

Mountain lion sharpening its claws.

Unfortunately, information about these spills tend worsen over time. Hopefully, that is not the case in this instance.

An oil spill in the middle of Los Angeles can significantly impact both people and wildlife. Many would be surprised to know that Los Angeles—the second largest city in the nation—is teeming with wildlife and possesses an impressive array of biodiversity. The Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Sally Jewell, recently selected Los Angeles as one of eight pilot cities under the Urban Wildlife Refuge Initiative to connect urban youth with the great outdoors. The oil spill occurred not far from Griffith Park, the largest municipal park that contains wilderness and where a mountain lion has incredibly made his home. Wildlife in urban areas exist on the margins and an oil spill can have devastating effects on the animals in an area.

An Isolated Incident? Not A Chance.

This disaster not only poses imminent threats to the impacted neighborhood and nearby LA River, but reminds us of the need to move quickly off oil. In the last few years, oil pipeline spills have fouled wildlife habitat and communities throughout America. To wit:

Transporting oil is inherently unsafe, and the scars to communities and habitat areas from disasters last for decades.

We can and must move away from oil. Recent fuel economy standards to reduce oil demand is a great start. As is saying no to further unneeded and unsafe pipelines like Keystone XL. When our addition to oil is turning city streets into toxic rivers of sludge, ending our addition may not be just good for people and wildlife, but good politics too.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/05/pipeline-spill-in-los-angeles-neighborhood-another-stark-reminder-its-time-to-end-oil-addiction/feed/0President Now Has Information Needed to Deny Keystone XLhttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/01/president-now-has-information-needed-to-deny-keystone-xl/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/01/president-now-has-information-needed-to-deny-keystone-xl/#commentsFri, 31 Jan 2014 19:09:36 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=91356Read more >]]>Today, the State Department released its long awaited environmental review of the controversial Keystone XL tar sands export pipeline. The State Department’s report for the first time acknowledges that the Keystone XL pipeline has significant climate impacts, and could cause the equivalent carbon emissions of up to almost 6 million new cars being put on the road. With the release of this report, President Obama now has what he has needs to reject this boondoggle pipeline.

This study is just the beginning of the final review process. It is not the decision. The State Department’s release of this report initiates a larger review process where the President and Secretary Kerry must look at all the facts, listen to other agencies, and decide whether this pipeline is in the “national interest.” In addition to acknowledging climate impacts, the study confirms tar sands is much more polluting than regular oil.

Protesters gathered to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline at the Tar Sands rally in 2011.

Keystone XL Fails President Obama’s Test

President Obama has made clear that climate change is a major threat we need to address and that he will reject Keystone XL if it “exacerbates the problem of carbon pollution.”

The Keystone XL pipeline exacerbates climate change and should be denied. There is near universal agreement, including among industry officials and Canadian proponents, that Keystone XL’s approval is a lynchpin to massive tar sands expansion. James Hansen is among numerous scientists to have declared such an expansion will essentially mean game over for the planet. Even investors like Goldman Sachs have recognized that without KXL, tar sands expansion plans will be slowed.

Additionally, federal agencies with climate and wildlife expertise like the EPA and the Department of Interior have expressed serious concerns about the pipeline.

Tar sands expansion has also turned Canada from climate champion to climate villain. It will see emissions soar 38 percent by 2030 if tar sands pollution is allowed to occur. This is the chief reason Canada withdrew from its Kyoto obligations.

A Bad Deal for America and Wildlife

The study confirms the pipeline is not in the national interest for a variety of other reasons. Here are a couple:

It will largely be an export pipeline through America, not to America. The State Department has failed to find to it will result in meaningful permanent job creation, energy “security,” or lower gas priced. Indeed, it will likely increase gas prices by manipulating supply here at home.

It poses enormous spill risks of nearly impossible to clean up tar sands oil in America’s heartland, putting at risk the vital Ogallala aquifer that supplies the Great Plains with most of its water and countless communities and rivers along the way.

Additionally, it will spur more tar sands mining and drilling, which threatens to lay waste to North America’s bird nursery by devastating and poisoning an area the size of Florida that is used by 190 species of internationally protected bird species, including the critically endangered whooping crane.

A new poll shows support for the pipeline eroding as the public learns more. Americans are facing increasingly severe and damaging weather events like Hurricane Sandy and wildfires, while watching communities in Michigan and Arkansas be decimated by oil spills. They are grasping the costs of dirty, carbon polluting fuels and want a better future.

Meeting the Challenge of Tackling Climate Change for Our Children

In his State of the Union speech to the nation, President Obama reiterated his commitment to addressing climate change:

[T]he debate is settled. Climate change is a fact. And when our children’s children look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to say yes, we did.

The President along with Secretary Kerry must now decide on Keystone XL. They must look at all the facts. And the facts are clear: Keystone XL is not in the national interest.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/01/president-now-has-information-needed-to-deny-keystone-xl/feed/1Industry Giveaway Bill Seeks to Gut Public Review of Dangerous Pipeline Projectshttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/10/industry-giveaway-bill-seeks-to-gut-public-review-of-dangerous-pipeline-projects/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/10/industry-giveaway-bill-seeks-to-gut-public-review-of-dangerous-pipeline-projects/#commentsTue, 29 Oct 2013 01:41:02 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=87573Read more >]]>Now that Congress is done shuttering our National Parks and needlessly putting the world economy at risk, it’s time for them to turn to another of their favorite pastimes – trying to deny citizens the right to participate in reviewing projects that could poison their water supplies, cause more devastating extreme weather events, and lead to countless wildlife casualties.

Michigan Representative Fred Upton introduced the North American Energy Infrastructure Act, which – if passed – would create a near rubber stamp approval process for massive tar sands pipelines like Keystone XL and deny public participation. It would also do away totally with federal review of reversal or expansion projects, such as the likely tar sands reversal of the Exxon-owned Portland-Montreal Pipe Line in northern New England and the proposed expansion of the Alberta Clipper line which would about double the amount of tar sands flowing through the Great Lakes region.

An old oil pipeline in Winnipeg near the Assiniboine River. Flickr photo by Joel Penner.

This bill is another attack on America’s bedrock environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act – better known as NEPA. NEPA requires federal agencies to take a hard at the environmental impacts of major projects – like tar sands pipelines – and, most importantly, give the public a chance to learn about those impacts and weigh in with concerns before they are forced to bear the risks.

In the sum, this bill would:

Require projects that import or export oil, gas or electricity across the Canadian or Mexican borders to be approved within 120 days unless the relevant official determines that the project “is not in the national security interests” of the U.S.

Exempt the projects from NEPA, wiping out longstanding requirements that agencies determine whether such projects are needed and that provide the public with the right to comment and review alternatives.

Eliminate pre-project reviews to determine if a project is actually in our national interest.

Exempt from permitting and review major changes – like reversal or expansion – of existing pipelines.

The need for thorough public review of pipeline projects is even more important now that pressure is being exerted to pump dirty, toxic tar sands through new and existing pipelines. The impacts of tar sands are immense:

Tar sands is at least 17% more carbon pollution intensive than regular oil, meaning increased use will accelerate, rather than reverse, the climate disruption that is already wreaking havoc on our planet.

Allowing more tar sands into the United States spurs further destruction of critical boreal forest habitat and could lead to the loss of up to 72 million migratory bird births, striking at the heart of the U.S. and Canada’s shared wildlife heritage.

On Tuesday, Vermont’s Department of Environmental Commissioner David Mears and pipeline expert and attorney Paul Blackburn are testifying before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Power on why gutting review of major pipeline projects is a bad idea.

It should not be lost on people that tomorrow’s hearing is on the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. This is a day when we should be reflecting on the costs of carbon pollution, and the need to make smarter, more informed energy choices. It is a good day to reject a bill that seeks a massive giveaway to the fossil fuel industry and aims to rips the public out of the decision-making process for dangerous and dirty pipelines.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2013/10/industry-giveaway-bill-seeks-to-gut-public-review-of-dangerous-pipeline-projects/feed/0Congress Joins the Chorus of Boos Against Keystone XLhttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/04/congress-joins-the-chorus-of-boos-against-keystone-xl-review/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/04/congress-joins-the-chorus-of-boos-against-keystone-xl-review/#commentsWed, 24 Apr 2013 19:39:31 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=79221Read more >]]>It’s been a bad week for the tar sands industry, with protests against the Keystone XL pipeline coming to a boil as the window for public input closes. Joining the growing chorus, thirty-six members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to the State Department and urged the agency to take a harder look at the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Calling State’s review “inadequate,” the signers go on to say that it

fails to reflect the full environmental impacts of the proposed pipeline. We strongly encourage the State Department to reevaluate the SEIS and its assessment of the proposed pipeline’s impacts on climate change, our natural resources, our economy, and low-income and minority communities.

This is no surprise to anyone who follows this blog (I know you’re out there) and it echoes official comments from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), released yesterday, that cast serious doubt on the State Department’s analysis and the future of the project. EPA concluded that State had failed to meaningfully consider multiple factors, foremost among them the climate impacts and spill risks posed by the 1,700 mile tar sands pipeline.

Both EPA and Congress were skeptical about State’s claim that Keystone XL would not drive more development and tar sands production in Canada, which is the biggest factor in determining what the ultimate carbon emissions will be. Market analysts and corporate leaders agree that KXL is the linchpin for the industry’s future, but the State Department has relied on incomplete and outdated information about alternative options like rail or other pipelines.

A Million Voices Against KXL

It’s not just agencies and members of Congress who think the tar sands pipeline is a bad idea. Capping off the outpouring of opposition, National Wildlife Federation and other groups just delivered over a million comments from the public, telling the Obama Administration “reject the pipeline!” NWF’s Robyn Carmichael has more — and as she puts it, the comments “came from Americans from all across the country and all walks of life, but they carried one common message: that this risky and unnecessary project puts our wildlife, water, land, and communities in jeopardy.”

Thank you to the tens of thousands of NWF members (and many others) who have spoken up for people and wildlife during this rollercoaster campaign. The public comment period for the environmental review is over, but there will be more opportunities to help so stay tuned!

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2013/04/congress-joins-the-chorus-of-boos-against-keystone-xl-review/feed/0Need to Avoid Oil Spill Danger? Draw Your Own Fake Map!http://blog.nwf.org/2012/08/need-to-avoid-oil-spill-danger-draw-your-own-fake-map/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/08/need-to-avoid-oil-spill-danger-draw-your-own-fake-map/#commentsThu, 16 Aug 2012 20:11:09 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=65352Read more >]]>A major oil industry player is in hot water again, this time for an advertisement that appears to re-write the geography books. Enbridge Incorporated, which is at the center of intense debates in both Canada and the US over its tar sands projects, is running an ad touting the”Northern Gateway” pipeline that would cut through Alberta and British Columbia on its way to the Pacific coast for export. In the ad, Enbridge takes poetic license to the extreme by showing a radically altered map of Douglas Channel, the route that oceangoing tankers would have to take to access the oil pipeline at Kitimat, British Columbia. Check out the graphic below:

The advocacy group SumOfUsis running a campaign to pull the misleading ad off the airwaves,alleging that Enbridge is “deliberately and dramatically misrepresenting the risk of oil supertankers travelling through the 4th most dangerous waterway in the world.”

Though not as well-known in the United States, Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project is the Canadian equivalent of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, and has been attacked by First Nations indigenous groups, conservationists and millions of citizens angry at the oil industry’s heavy-handed approach and pattern of environmental destruction. The project would send tar sands oil to Asia and help expand the reach and influence of Alberta’s tar sands industry, but the province of British Columbia has resisted it so far, with Premier Christy Clark publicly slamming Enbridge for its failures.

An NWF report released earlier this summer details the company’s record of disaster — more than 800 spills over the last 13 years, including a million gallon tar sands spill in Michigan in 2010 and a 50,000 gallon spill in Wisconsin just last month. “Enbridge’s long history of pipeline spills can’t be explained by mistakes or bad luck,” says NWF senior vice president Jeremy Symons. “You can’t make the same mistake eight hundred times, but that’s how many oil spills we have seen from Enbridge pipelines. Contaminated water may be an acceptable cost of doing business to Enbridge, but we can’t afford to turn a blind eye to their irresponsible safety record.”

“Montana’s people, fish, and wildlife didn’t deserve this oil spill in the Yellowstone River, but they do deserve a better response from ExxonMobil and the federal government,” Dr. Inkley testified in a hearing that included testimony from Exxon and the government’s chief pipeline safety official.

Rep. Corrine Brown, ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, later invited Dr. Inkley to work with the committee in shaping good reform legislation.

Quote:

Bill McKibben (via Energy Action Coalition)

“If you dig up huge amounts of carbon, huge amounts of ancient biology, hundreds of millions of years worth of ancient biology, and flush it into the atmosphere in a matter of decades, then it stands to reason that we’re going to have enormous effects, and now we can see those effects all around us.”

Economic Story of the Week

Plug it In

Converted Prius Plug-In Hybrids, via felixkramer/flickr

Our transportation sector is 95 percent dependent on oil, putting us at the mercy of unpredictable gas price spikes and the whims of foreign dictators who control the vast reserves of oil that are the source of our addiction. As more and more consumers from developing countries such as China and India enter the global marketplace and demand the same luxuries we are privileged to, reserves will only be strained further. How will we cope with increasing demand but dwindling reserves? More drilling is NOT the answer.

The people of Montana are learning all too well the consequences of our rush to drill without giving safety considerations a second thought. Hauntingly similar to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, on June 30th, an Exxon Mobil pipeline ruptured and spewed thousands of gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River. The extent of the damage is still unknown.

Cheap oil is tapped out and what is left is in ever more dangerous sites and requires more destructive methods to extract. It is time we take control of our energy future and demand from our leaders real solutions to the energy crisis. The tools to cut our dependence on oil are already available. Increased fuel efficiency, electric vehicles and investment in mass transit, not only sever our reliance on oil, but save Americans money and create jobs at home.

Editorial of the Week

The Risks of the Keystone XL Pipeline

(LA Times)

TransCanada has a poor record when it comes to spills. Its first pipeline, Keystone I, has already sprung more than a dozen leaks in its first year of operation. The State Department is promising to make a decision on Keystone XL before the end of the year, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee is pushing for approval by Nov. 1, but there is no rush. The environmental risks should be thoroughly studied and mitigation measures must be put in place.

The objections to Keystone XL stem at least in part from widespread concern over the production of oil from tar sands, which ravages the landscape, pollutes rivers and emits high concentrations of greenhouse gases. The best way to solve the tar sands problem is for the world to agree on a practical scheme for putting a price on carbon emissions. (More…)

Shelter from the Storms

flooding, via Wimmera/Flickr

With hurricane season well underway and the remnants of severe floods still troubling many river communities in the country’s midsection, it is difficult to ignore the risks out-of-control waters pose to all Americans. Recently, the House of Representatives voted to reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), advancing measures that will better protect people, property and the environment. H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011, removes incentives for risky developments in flood prone and environmentally sensitive areas, applies market-based rates to flood insurance to further mitigate risk and provides technical and financial assistance to help lessen damage and protect natural features.

“Reforming the NFIP is certainly a step in the right direction. It will help put the program on firmer financial footing, and it will better protect people by using the best science to map flood zones,” said Joshua Saks, senior legislative representative for water resources campaigns at the National Wildlife Federation.

With climate change causing more intense storms, sea level rise and flooding all across the country, this reform measure could not be timelier. We look forward to working with the House, Senate and Administration to see a comprehensive reform bill signed into law this year.

Coalition Drops More Than 600,000 Comments Like They’re Hot

via dharma comm/flickr

A coalition of more than 50 health, environmental and associated organizations held a major public event to hand over more than 600,000 public comments to the Environmental Protection Agency. These comments, collected all over the country, express concern over the impacts of mercury pollution generated by coal fired power plants and support for the EPA’s proposed safeguards.

Located on a 928-acre wildlife refuge, the Oroville, CA, school boasts a long track record of leadership on sustainability and efficiency. Butte won NWF’s 2008 ‘Chill Out’ grand prize for its carbon neutrality and energy usage goals, Sustainability Studies certificate program and recycling initiatives and was later featured in the Campus Report Card, a project by NWF and Princeton Survey Research Associates International to review trends and new developments in environmental performance and sustainability on college campuses. Butte was recognized for high marks in energy efficiency, recycling and ground management.

Historically, environmental disasters have tended to prompt introspection, learning and some level of commitment to do a better job in the future.

When an oil blowout blackened the waters near Santa Barbara in 1969, the nation galvanized in its support for protecting our coasts and oceans, and a grassroots movement leading to the first Earth Day was begun.

Later that year, the burning Cuyahoga River led us to question our widespread practice of simply dumping pollution into rivers and streams, a process that led to the Clean Water Act and the modern architecture of environmental law.

One year after the largest oil spill disaster in our history, however, the loudest cries from our elected leaders are not for a sober assessment of our energy options, or even for improvements in oil drilling safety or emergency preparedness. Instead, we see a mad rush for decreased regulation and taking even more risks in the hopeless pursuit of drilling our way to energy security.

Despite extensive evidence of ecological damage in the Gulf and no evidence of any improved ability to prevent and respond to oil spills, drilling has simply resumed apace. Worse, pressure has only increased to push into other frontier areas like the Arctic Ocean, a sensitive and productive environment where the oil industry has not demonstrated an ability to clean up an oil spill.

It’s beyond ironic that our national response to the Deepwater Horizon tragedy has largely been to drill more, faster, riskier, and with less concern for the environment. It’s desperate, and it’s doomed to fail us.